[PSN, XBLA] Hard Corps: Rising

[AlNom]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_Corps:_Uprising

Anyone try/play this Looks like it's a Contra game with some HD graphics: Win

edit: It seems to be a mix of 3D and sprite rendering. 3D models for environment and some of the background and special effects. 2D characters have a decent amount of animation frames, but not enough to be seemless with the framerate. Still decent I suppose. Only 720p no AA Weirdos.

360 D-pad isn't so great to me for trying to crouch. Thankfully you can use the analog stick. Works okay. I suck at avoiding enemy fire though, so I don't know if it's something I'd buy ($15). The RPG elements in normal mode are interesting though - you can upgrade weapons and I presume life. There's a hardcore mode that I believe is classic Contra-style.

Two characters were selectable with multiple alternate colour pallettes.

 

[Scott_Arm]

I think I'd be into getting this.

 

[RobertR1]

Don't forget to buy the day 1 dlc which unlocks the other 2 characters already in the game!

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Don't forget to buy the day 1 dlc which unlocks the other 2 characters already in the game!

Seeing stuff like that, I always wonder...

Would a game sell better at 20 USD?

Or at 15 USD with some non-essential stuff cut. And 5 USD to add those features back in?

Same end price in both cases for all content.

Regards,
SB

 

[AlNom]

ugh, that's... uber lame. Can you unlock those other two characters by playing? I wouldn't mind so much if they also threw in some extra character upgrades. That would make it more worthwhile...

 

[RobertR1]

Not that I know of but double check the gaf thread to make sure.

 

[Sigfried1977]

Ugh. I was really looking forward to this, but after watching the Giant Bomb Quicklook, the game went all the way from must-have to won't-even-bother-status. Whatever happened to classic action games that normal people can actually enjoy as well? (contrary to popular belief, not all classic side scrolling games were impossibly hard) Sure, Contra was always hard, but Hard Corps Uprising's difficulty seems to be utterly insane. It also looks rather dull compared to the last proper Contra game Shattered Soldier. Also, didn't anyone notice the obnoxious sound effects while developing the game?

 

[Rangers]

Ugh. I was really looking forward to this, but after watching the Giant Bomb Quicklook, the game went all the way from must-have to won't-even-bother-status. Whatever happened to classic action games that normal people can actually enjoy as well? (contrary to popular belief, not all classic side scrolling games were impossibly hard) Sure, Contra was always hard, but Hard Corps Uprising's difficulty seems to be utterly insane. It also looks rather dull compared to the last proper Contra game Shattered Soldier. Also, didn't anyone notice the obnoxious sound effects while developing the game?

The IGN review, very positive 8.5, overcame my problems with the difficulty. Besides Arcade mode, the game has a mode called "rising mode" where you earn cash/points to buy upgrades, everything from upgrading your guns to your life bar. So say, by replaying level 1 enough times, you can eventually gain enough upgrades to blast past that tough spot on level 5. Which the reviewer said was very satisfying. This also seems like it would up replay value immensely, as you theoretically might play each level multiple times.

It basically is just a great idea all around, sounds like (I dont have the game though, too many other games to buy soon)

 

[Sigfried1977]

Different strokes for different folks I guess. I'm personally not a big fan of leveling myself out of tight spots in a side scroller game. The beauty of the Contra games was the great level design: always tough, but never really unfair. The way the new Contra games basically just throws 3 (unimaginative) bosses in a row at you, and in the first level no less, just doesn't seem very appealing to me. The most moronic thing is the sort-of-quick time event at the end of the boss battle, which quite possibly sends you back to the last queckpoint, or even worse: the game over screen.